The Family Series
by Aimless
Summary: The title says it all. This is a series of 3 stories that are all tied together, but each is a stand-alone fic. COMPLETE
1. The Phone Call

TITLE: The Phone Call  
  
AUTHOR: Aimless - aimless_210@hotmail.com  
  
RATING: G (I think)  
  
SPOILERS: None  
  
SYNOPSIS: The softer side of Mackenzie Previn  
  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own them (sigh - if only) and I'm not making a dime here. No copyright infringement is intended so please don't sue me. Besides, all you'd get is a pocket full of lint, a couple of cats, and some half-dead houseplants.  
  
NOTES: This is the first of what will be a series of three stories - The Phone Call, The Visit, and The Letter. Though tied together, each will be a stand-alone fic. Thanks to Marnie for allowing me to bend her ear.   
  
THE PHONE CALL  
  
Mackenzie Previn entered her small room aboard the Vast Explorer, roughly closed the door, and locked it. It had been one heck of a day. A week ago, she and her friends, the intrepid crew of Adventure Inc., had been hired by some seedy looking little man to find an ancient artifact. Judson's interest had been piqued by the mere mention of it. The artifact was a gem, The Blue Heart. Legend stated that the ship it had been on had sank somewhere off the coast of Peru in the early 1800s, but no evidence of the ship, its crew, or the artifact had ever been found. Their client claimed to have found the ship's final resting place and had the photographic evidence to support it. He just needed an experienced diving team to explore the wreckage and retrieve the gem.  
  
Mac cursed and stalked towards her dresser. She stripped out of her grime-encrusted t-shirt and jeans, carelessly tossing them onto the floor, slipped into another t-shirt and some loose fitting sweat pants, and pulled her long, dark hair into a high ponytail. She craved a shower, but that would have to wait. First, she needed to work off some of her excess angry energy.  
  
She pushed her bed to one side, clearing a large space in the center of the room, and began a vigorous exercise regimen. Mac rotated through a series of push-ups, jumping jacks, and sit-ups before finally reaching the most satisfying part of her daily routine: practicing her kicks and punches. Her movements became more forceful as she allowed her mind to wander over the events of the day.  
  
They should have suspected something. Their client, Moeder, was a crook. Mac and Judson had surfaced from their dive, jewel in hand, and had come face to face with a small group of angry men wielding guns. Gabe, who had stayed aboard the boat to monitor the dive, had been out cold, sprawled on his back on the deck with a large bleeding cut on his temple. Moeder had snatched the jewel from Judson's hand and ordered his men to dispose of all three of them. He had planned to sell the jewel rather than give it to a museum as promised and he didn't want anyone to notify the authorities.  
  
Moeder and one of his men had kept their weapons trained on Mac and Judson while the other two began dragging Gabe towards them. Fortunately, Gabe had chosen that moment to attempt to rejoin the land of the living. His sudden struggling had proven to be just enough of a distraction to allow Mac and Judson time to act.  
  
Mac smiled as she reenacted her movements during the fight. She kicked and punched into the air, remembering the satisfaction she'd felt as each of her blows had found its target. While no experts, the men they'd fought had been good and had landed a few blows of their own. Judson was sporting a split lip and a swollen, black eye and Mac could already feel her bruised limbs begin to stiffen. She knew that her skin would be a rainbow of colors in the morning.  
  
The ringing of her cell-phone interrupted Mac's intense workout. After a final kick, reminiscent of the one she'd used to render Moeder unconscious, she snatched up the phone.  
  
"Hello," she barked into the phone, still breathing heavily.  
  
"Well, hello yourself, sugar," a familiar male voice responded. "Am I interrupting something?"  
  
Mac sighed, dropped bonelessly onto her bed, and smiled her first true smile in a long time. "No, no, you're not interrupting anything. I'm just working off a little excess energy. It's been a bad day. We had a client who went sour and we had to teach him a lesson."  
  
"Oh?" In her mind's eye, Mac could easily see the man's eyebrows rise. "Is everyone alright?"  
  
"Yeah. Well, mostly. We're all pretty banged up and Gabe has a concussion so we have to make sure to check on him and wake him up every hour tonight, but we'll all live."  
  
"I'm sure you will," he agreed, relief obvious in his voice. "So, which lesson did you teach this client of yours? Was it the one where he no longer has any teeth or the one where he ends up walking funny for the rest of his life?"  
  
Mac giggled. She actually giggled!! 'Black Ops? Yeah right,' she thought to herself. 'A few words from this guy and I melt into a puddle of gelatinous goo, giggling like a little school girl.'  
  
"Both, actually," she responded as she made herself more comfortable on the bed, curling her legs up underneath her. She felt the anger and adrenalin leave her body in a rush.   
  
The man chuckled. "You really have had a bad day, haven't you?"  
  
"It's getting better by the minute," Mac answered with a grin. "It's good to hear your voice."  
  
"It's good to hear yours as well. Where are you?"  
  
"Peru. But I think we're going to head for home tomorrow if we're all feeling up to it. So, what's going on? Why did you call?"  
  
"Since when did I need a reason to call you?" the man asked with a laugh. "If you'd prefer, I can hang up and wait to call you back until some Earth-shattering event has taken place."  
  
Mackenzie joined him in laughter. "You know better than that. I love hearing from you almost as much as I love spending time with you."  
  
The two eased into a conversation that was punctuated with bouts of laugher and comfortable silences. Over the next fifteen minutes Mac found herself relaxing, the deep voice emanating from the phone lulled her and provided a sense of security, despite the great distance that separated them physically.  
  
A quiet beeping noise drew Mac's attention to her watch. "Hey, I'm sorry, but I have to cut this conversation short. I promised Judson that I would play Florence Nightingale for the first half of the night and my watch tells me that it's time to wake our boy up."  
  
"Of course. You go and take care of your friends. I understand."  
  
While she knew his words were sincere, Mac could easily hear the disappointment lacing his voice at having to end the call. It was a feeling they shared. "Look, why don't I take some time off when we make it back to the States? I could come spend a few days with you and we can catch up on things."  
  
"Won't that put your friends in a bind - being short-handed?"  
  
"Nah. Don't worry about it," Mac reassured him. "We don't have anything scheduled for about a week anyway. Gabe has to travel to Vermont for some family thing and Judson had mentioned something about taking a break himself. So it looks like I'm all yours."  
  
"Great!" The cheerfulness instantly returned to his voice. "I'll look forward to it. Call me when you get into town, okay?"  
  
"Sure. I'll do that."  
  
"I'll see you then." He paused. When he continued, his voice had taken on a serious edge. "I love you Mackenzie and I'm...I'm very proud of you."  
  
Tears suddenly threatened to overflow Mac's eyes and she swallowed convulsively in an attempt to dislodge the lump that had formed in her throat upon hearing those simple words. When she finally found her voice again, it was little more than a hoarse whisper.  
  
"I love you too, Daddy."  
  
THE END 


	2. The Visit

TITLE: The Visit  
  
AUTHOR: Aimless - aimless_210@hotmail.com  
  
RATING: G (I think)  
  
SPOILERS: None  
  
SYNOPSIS: The Patterson Family  
  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own them (sigh - if only) and I'm not making a dime here. No copyright infringement is intended so please don't sue me. Besides, all you'd get is a pocket full of lint, a couple of cats, and some half-dead houseplants.  
  
NOTES: This is the second of what will be a series of three stories - The Phone Call, The Visit, and The Letter. Though tied together, each will be a stand-alone fic. Thanks to Marnie for allowing me to bend her ear and for providing such wonderful ideas. Big, huge thanks and many hugs go out to Debbie and Marnie for sending transcripts of 'Fatal Error'.  
  
THE VISIT  
  
"Okay everyone, that's a wrap. That was an excellent interview, thank you. We'll have the photo proofs to you within a day or so. We had a lot of wonderful shots, so I don't think you'll have any trouble finding a picture suitable for the cover."  
  
Gabe allowed a tentative smile to grace his features as he silently closed the large oak door behind him. Perhaps this time he had arrived too late. Perhaps this time he had managed to escape the endless interviews, camera flashes, fake smiles, and publicity in general. Perhaps this time...  
  
"Gabriel, is that you?"  
  
Gabe winced and briefly entertained the idea of simply leaving and returning sometime after everyone had departed. He gave up the idea after realizing that his cab had surely left, taking with it his only chance of a temporary reprieve. With a long sigh, he dropped his duffel bag onto the pristine marble floor and shoved his fists deep into the pockets of his slacks.  
  
"Yeah, it's me," he called out.  
  
He heard the familiar sound of high-heeled shoes clicking as they made contact with the floor long before the source entered foyer.  
  
"Gabriel, you were supposed to arrive yesterday. You promised me you would be on time for once. You know how important this is," the woman scolded as she approached.   
  
Gabe mumbled an apology, his attention automatically drifting to the floor as if he were ashamed meet the woman's eyes.  
  
"At least the camera crew is still here and we can..."  
  
The abrupt halt to her words caused Gabe to finally look to the woman before him. Mrs. Katherine Patterson, his mother, appeared exactly as he had expected; smart navy blue suit, a single strand of pearls around her neck, matching earrings, perfectly styled short, brown hair, and expertly applied make-up. She appeared to be the perfect politician's wife.  
  
"What is this?" she asked as she reached a hand out to clasp Gabe's chin and turn his head to the side. She studied the fresh, red scar that was clearly visible on his left temple, complete with small criss-crossing lines, indicative of recent stitches.  
  
Gabe was disheartened to realize that her tone conveyed more annoyance than concern. "Actually, that's sort of the reason I'm late," he began with forced levity. "We ran into a little trouble in Peru. Judson decided to stay over a couple days longer because he wanted to make sure that this," he motioned towards his head, "would be alright. Personally, I think he just used it as an excuse so he didn't have to admit how sore he was."  
  
"Well, he needs to be educated about the importance of these campaign photo shoots."  
  
Gabe bit back the retort concerning educating her about the importance of her family's health.  
  
"So, this is the exciting life that drew you away from law school and a promising political career."  
  
At the booming male voice, Gabe stepped back from his mother's touch and instinctively straightened to a near-attention stance. "H-hello, Father," he hesitantly greeted the man standing at the entrance to the foyer. He cursed the stutter in his voice, the acid in his stomach, and the fact that his father could invoke this kind of response from him.  
  
Senator Patterson approached and placed an arm around his wife's waist. "Come on," he said, his dark eyes glued to his son. "We need to get at least one picture of the entire family." Without another word, the couple turned and walked away, assuming that the young man would follow.   
  
"You owe me fifty bucks, Isaiah."   
  
Gabe sighed inwardly at yet another familiar sound - his two older brothers discussing their latest bet, no doubt concerning him.  
  
"No way, Thaddeus. The bet was whether or not he would show up for the interview. The interview ended hours ago."  
  
"It's nice to see the two of you as well," Gabe quipped with no small amount of sarcasm as he entered the large family room. While his parents talked with someone from the camera crew, he slipped into the jacket and tie presented to him by the family's butler, Richard. He thanked the aging man and received a warm smile and softly spoken 'welcome home' in return. Gabe joined his brothers and sister, Constance, by the fireplace.  
  
"Your son?" The shocked voice of the photographer wafted over to the siblings. The obviously confused and agitated man dug frantically through his notes until he reached the desired page. "Let's see..." He began to read aloud. "Two sons, Isaiah and Thaddeus, and one daughter, Constance. I don't see anything that indicates another son."  
  
Gabe couldn't repress a humorless chuckle from escaping as the photographer resumed digging through his papers. He found it quite ironic that wherever he went with the Adventure Inc. crew, he was always quickly and easily identified as 'Senator Patterson's kid', but here and now, when he was supposed to be recognized, he was just another anonymous face in the crowd.  
  
"Ah ha!" the photographer proclaimed triumphantly as he held up a copy of an old TIME magazine cover that was decorated by all six members of the Patterson family. He inspected the photograph closely, no doubt comparing the teen in the picture to the young man who stood before him. Gabe offered a fake smile that was apparently all it took to convince the photographer. "Okay. Evidently, our records need to be reviewed. We just need one good family photograph, so it shouldn't take too long."  
  
The crew was busily shuffling the family members into their appropriate places when Katherine's voice rang out. "Wait! What about that scar?" she asked, pointing to Gabe. "We can't have people thinking that we can't keep our children safe."  
  
"It's okay," the photographer replied confidently. "I noticed that already. I'd planned to airbrush it out. Don't worry."  
  
Gabe rolled his eyes. "I'm fine," he mumbled under his breath as they all took their places again. "It was only a moderate concussion. The dizziness and nausea were gone within a day and the migraine was gone within two."   
  
A soft chuckle from his left drew his attention to Constance. Though his parents would frequently remind him of his twin sister's success in the legal field, using her as an example of what he should have become, she was the one bright spot to these required family gatherings. She may have chosen a career that followed the long-standing Patterson family tradition, but her down-to-Earth personality was a refreshing change form the norm.   
  
Constance elbowed him in the ribs and jerked her chin in the direction of the camera, indicating that the photo session was about to begin. Gabe plastered the usual fake smile onto his face but it quickly morphed into something genuine as he felt his sister's small hand slip into his own.  
  
After an indeterminate amount of time and enough flashes of the camera to cause temporary blindness, the photo shoot ended. The two elder boys immediately excused themselves and rushed out the door, intending to meet up with some old friends.  
  
"How long will you be staying this time, Gabriel?" the Senator questioned in a professional voice, seemingly devoid of emotion.  
  
"A couple of days."  
  
"Well, your room is ready. Dinner is served at six o'clock sharp. Please try to be on time."   
  
"Yes, sir," Gabe responded, feeling very much like a little kid who had been sent to the principal's office.  
  
"Perhaps you can use this time to catch up with Constance," his mother offered helpfully. "She has some wonderful news."  
  
He felt the small hand tighten almost painfully around his own. He looked to his sister who merely rolled her eyes and shrugged apologetically. By the time he returned his gaze forward, his parents had already left the room.  
  
"Well, that was..." Gabe faltered.  
  
"Warm, cozy, nice?" Constance provided a choice of words with a mischievous grin.  
  
"Actually, yes. So far, this is going much better than my last visit."  
  
The pair retrieved his luggage and ascended the stairs that led to the bedrooms. Upon entering his room, Gabe pulled some casual clothes from the bag and entered the adjoining bathroom to change while his sister busied herself with pulling back the heavy drapes that adorned each window, blocking all but the slightest trace of sunlight.  
  
"So, Connie," Gabe called into the room. "What's this wonderful news Mom was talking about?" Hearing no response, he quickly finished changing and reentered the bedroom to find her sill wrestling with the drapes. "So?" he asked again, still receiving no response. "Yoo-hoo!" He waved a hand in front of her face. "Earth to Constance Marie."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. What did you say?" she asked, pretending - very poorly - that she hadn't heard him.  
  
"What's the big news?"  
  
"Oh, it's nothing, just a job offer," she answered absently as she attempted to beat the final stubborn drape into submission.  
  
Gabe reached up and pushed the heavy cloth aside, his height giving him the leverage needed. "While that's good news, I get the feeling that there's a little more to it."  
  
"Umm, yeah. The job is with the law firm of Slate and Ferguson." She continued to busy herself with straightening the drapes, refusing to meet her brother's eye.  
  
While Gabe easily recognized the prestigious law firm and acknowledged that the offer could definitely be categorized as 'wonderful', he knew there was more to the story. "And," he prompted.  
  
She hesitated slightly. "And they promised me a full..." Each word was spoken softer than the last until the end of the sentence was nearly inaudible.  
  
"They promised you a full partnership?! Within five years!?!" Gabe's hearing was obviously better than she had anticipated. He grabbed the young woman in a bone-crushing embrace, lifted her from her feet, and swung her around in circles. "Congratulations! That IS wonderful news!" He set her back down, steadying her long enough to ensure that the impromptu swinging hadn't caused her to become dizzy, and took a good look at her. It was only then that Gabe noticed her lack of enthusiasm. "What is it?" he asked, the bright smile fading from his lips. "Don't you want the job?"  
  
"Oh, no, that's not it," she quickly reassured him. "This is everything I could have hoped for. I'm thrilled! It's just..." she trailed off, lowering her head.  
  
"Just what? What's wrong?"  
  
After another slight hesitation, Connie took a deep breath and began speaking. "I'm sorry. I just didn't want to rub your nose in my success. I know you hate it when Mom and Dad..." Gabe's laughter cut her off. "What's so funny?" she asked indignantly.  
  
He hugged her again. "You're priceless, you know that, Connie?" He released her and guided her to the small padded bench by the bay window. They sat on the red velvet cushion and he pulled her close. Though she was obviously hesitant at first, Gabe was pleased when Connie finally relaxed into the embrace and rested her head on his shoulder.  
  
  
  
Gabe rested his chin on the top of his twin's head. "Do you think I like what I'm doing now?"  
  
"Father says that you're just sowing your wild oats," she answered in all seriousness.  
  
"Well, Father is wrong."  
  
Constance gasped and pulled away, surprise evident in her expression, as if the idea of her father being wrong about ANYTHING had never entered her precious, naïve yet overeducated mind.  
  
Gabe laughed and pulled his sister close again. "Look, as much as Mom and Dad may want me to finish law school, marry a debutante, and enter the political arena, that's just not the life for me. It's not what I want. The world is such a big place filled with...well...everything you could imagine and much, much more. I love what I'm doing. I enjoy being out there and visiting the different places, meeting different people, touching pieces of history. It might be tough at times," he gingerly traced the scar on his temple with his fingers, "but to me, it's well worth the trouble."  
  
Constance sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I just don't see the appeal."  
  
"Of course you don't." Gabe lightly kissed the top of her head. "You're no more suited for my life than I am for yours. All that matters is that you're happy with what you're doing. And for your information, I don't get upset when Mom and Dad tell me about your accomplishments. I'm always very proud of you. I only get upset when they try to use you as leverage against me. It's as if they think that in response to them telling me how proud they are of you, I'll get jealous and return to the fold."  
  
Connie chuckled, clearly indicating her belief that that scenario would NOT be playing out anytime soon.  
  
"I'm not going to compete with you in order to make them happy," Gabe continued. "If they're not going to be satisfied or even acknowledge the accomplishments I've made in my chosen field, then I don't need..." He stopped, suddenly realizing that he was about to lie to the one person who could easily see through his façade. As much as he may try to deny it, he DID need their approval. It was his greatest wish to one day hear his parents say that they were proud of him.  
  
"...then I feel sorry for them," Connie finished for him.  
  
Gabe smiled and held her tightly against his chest as he sent a silent prayer of thanks to whatever deity had chosen to enrich his life by giving him this amazing young woman for a sister. He quickly wiped the tear from his eye and cleared his throat.  
  
"So, tell me about this job."  
  
THE END 


	3. The Letter

TITLE: The Letter  
  
AUTHOR: Aimless - aimless_210@hotmail.com  
  
RATING: G (I think)  
  
SPOILERS: None  
  
SYNOPSIS: Judson reflects on love and family.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own them (sigh - if only) and I'm not making a dime here. No copyright infringement is intended so please don't sue me. Besides, all you'd get is a pocket full of lint, a couple of cats, and some half-dead houseplants.  
  
NOTES: This is the final fic in my series of three stories - The Phone Call, The Visit, and The Letter. Though tied together, each is a stand-alone fic.  
  
THE LETTER  
  
Judson Cross returned to the Vast Explorer with a bag full of mail that had collected at the post office while the team had been on their latest job in Peru. He allowed his mind to wander while he sorted the overwhelming stack of mail into four piles onto the table, one for each of the crew and one for the trash, the last pile growing faster than all of the others combined.   
  
Gabe had traveled to Vermont, telling the others only that he had some sort of family obligation. Considering the young man's family, Judson could easily understand why he'd been unwilling to offer any further explanation. He wondered what kind of welcome his friend would receive upon arriving a day later than promised.  
  
Mackenzie had offered absolutely no clue to her destination, which in itself wasn't at all unusual. She would often disappear for days at a time, only to return with bullet holes in her belongings and looking exhausted but extremely pleased with herself. He often wondered if the young woman had truly left the CIA. The thing that surprised Judson this time was the way Mac had been acting as he drove her to the airport. If he didn't know her better - and believe she would kill him for saying so - he would almost describe her attitude as...giddy.  
  
While he appreciated his friends and the time they were able to spend together when not on a job, Judson looked forward to a few days alone. This would be his opportunity to relax. Maybe if he felt up to it, he could get a few of the little things done that he'd been postponing...  
  
Judson's train of thought was promptly derailed when he came upon a large yellow envelope in the stack of mail. He studied it for a moment. The name on the address was written in a childish scrawl which, if he squinted his eyes, tilted his head slightly to the left, and applied a little imagination, could possibly be identified as the words 'Uncle Judson'. The rest of the address was written in a clear and decidedly feminine script. There was no return address, but he knew the person that had sent it.  
  
Smiling to himself, Judson turned the envelope over and carefully removed the brightly colored, smiling flower sticker that held the flap shut. Inside, he found a small card. Upon opening the card, a piece of paper fell out and fluttered down onto the pile of unsorted mail. Abandoning it for the time being, Judson turned his attention to the card. It was an invitation, announcing that his adopted nephew, Devon, would be celebrating his fifth birthday with a party. It continued on to provide the details of when and where the party was to be held.  
  
Judson set the card aside and retrieved the errant piece of paper. The paper, a hand-written letter from Devon's mother, Michelle, caused his smile to broaden.  
  
***  
  
Hey Judson!  
  
Can you believe it? Devon is almost five years old - going on fifteen! I may seriously regret agreeing to this party. I'm already so overwhelmed that I've pulled half of my hair out and the party isn't even here yet! What's it going to be like when I have a house full of screaming five-year-olds? But they're only young once, right?  
  
Devon is really hoping you can make it, but he understands that you're pretty busy and might not be able to come. Last I heard you were headed to Peru. I told him that you might not even be back yet.  
  
If you're able to come, that'll be great! If you're able to stay for a few days, that'll be even better. I might even be able to arrange for some 'adult time' so you, Tony, and I can get caught up on things. Let me know.  
  
Love,  
  
Michelle  
  
***  
  
Michelle and her husband, Tony, were a perfect match. They complemented each other's strengths and compensated for each other's weaknesses. They would each go to great lengths to support and protect the other. But most importantly, their marriage had produced Devon; a wonderful, loving child who would see to it that a little piece of each of them lived on. Judson felt a pang of jealousy.  
  
Judson hoped that one day he would be able to say the same about a child of his own. He thought back on his life. Like anyone, he'd had a number of relationships in the past with varying levels of seriousness, but he'd never found 'the one'. Yes, he'd come close a number of times, Victoria was proof positive of that, but he'd never found that one woman that he'd be willing to do anything for, including giving up his life as a professional explorer.  
  
No, that's not entirely true, Judson mentally corrected himself. He reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out his billfold before wearily sitting down onto a nearby chair. Opening the folded leather instantly revealed a group of photos, each encased in small plastic pockets that protected them and held them together. Without the need for conscious thought, Judson flipped to the center picture. Her picture. Michelle.  
  
The slightly worn photo depicted a laughing young woman with long, golden-brown hair and bottomless chocolate-colored eyes. Judson had caught her off guard one day as she'd been working in the garden. Her hair was flying in all directions, blown by the wind, her clothes and face were smudged with dirt, and the layer of perspiration on her face reflected the light of the beautiful summer morning. Though Michelle had always argued that she was a mess in the picture, Judson thought she looked beautiful in it. It was natural, the way he hoped to always remember her.  
  
Judson had met Michelle shortly after college, when his life of adventure was nothing more than a dream, a goal he hoped to one day meet. After a whirlwind romance, Judson had proposed and the young couple had soon found themselves eagerly making plans for the future - a future together. Once the newness of their relationship had worn off, they'd soon realized how different their goals had been. Michelle's budding career as a Pediatrician was hardly compatible with Judson's dream of exploring the world. A decision had to be made.  
  
Judson had been truly in love, so without batting an eye, he'd given up on his life-long dream and accepted a job in middle management with a local corporation. The job had been boring, to say the least, but in his opinion, returning home his beautiful fiancé was worth it.  
  
Michelle, however, hadn't fooled. She had easily seen the spark in his eyes dim as the monotony of a daily 9 - 5 job wore him down. It'd been obvious to her that Judson had longed for something more, something she couldn't give him. It was time for another decision. The two had argued and soul-searched and cried, but in the end they had come to an agreement. They had finally decided that they needed to follow their own paths in life. Judson's path had led him to Mac and Gabe and a life filled with adventure and discovery, and Michelle's had led her to a successful medical career, Tony, and Devon.  
  
With a quick shake of his head Judson pulled himself from his musings and closed his billfold, once again hiding Michelle's smiling face. Dwelling on the past was meaningless. Even if he were somehow given the opportunity, he wouldn't change a thing. He would never relinquish a single moment spent with Michelle but he also understood that their decision to part had been for the best. He could only accept the past, live in the present and anticipate the future. And right now 'the present' included an invitation to visit a cherished friend.  
  
Coming to a decision, Judson checked the date on the invitation and compared it to the calendar. The party was scheduled for the next day and it was only a three-hour drive to Michelle's house. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. He picked up the phone, dialed the number he knew by heart, and waited patiently until he heard the familiar voice answer at the other end.  
  
"Michelle? Hi, it's Judson. Yeah, I got the invitation."  
  
*The End* 


End file.
